Prosecco Flashcards
Prosecco
General info
- Glera grape variety (formely known as Prosecco)
- North-east of Italy
- Tank method
- ligh to medium- intensity apple and pear aromas / light body / med to med+ acidity / low to med alcohol
- sweetness range from Brut to Demi-sec / extra-dry most common style
- Spumante = fully sparkling / Frizzante =. lower pressure
- Prosecco DOC = acceptable to good quality / light intensity / mid-priced + inexpensive examples in supermarkets
- Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG = good to very good quality / medium intensity + greater definition / mid-priced + few premium prices
The name was changed so that Prosecco could be used to designate defined areas that were entitled to use the name and to prevent other regions or countries from exploiting the success of the name
Prosecco
Prosecco PDO’s
Prosecco DOC:
- Former IGT’s covering 9 provinces in Veneto and Friuli became this vast DOC from Trieste to Vicenza
- 24000ha
- most of plantings on the plain
- GI’s Trieste and Treviso may be added if grapes have been grown and wine has been made there
- 82% of total production
Conegliano Valdobbiadene - Prosecco DOCG:
- Hilly, historic area between the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene (8100ha) on Veneto
- DOCG since 2009
- most vineyard 200-320m
- The term Superiore may be added and/or Prosecco omitted
- 15% of total production
Asolo Prosecco DOCG:
- Separate DOCG / morem than 2000ha
- Hilly area south of Valdobbiadene
- 3% of total production
Prosecco
Climate and soils
- warm / moderately continental
- moderate rainfall
- Flat plains affected by moist air and fog from the rivers = high disease pressure = high volume of spraying needed
- DOCG areas = hilly = lower temperature from altitude + higher diurnal range = longer,slower ripening = higher acidity + more intense fruit flavours
- soil varies / more fertile in the plain = higher yield + lighter intensity wines
Prosecco
Grape varieties
Glera
- vigorous
- semi-aromatic variety
- capable of high yields
- susceptible to millerandage, powdery and downy mildew, drought in summer, grapvine yellows
- first 2 buds do not bear fruit = trained long, typically 8-12 buds
- low to medium planting density (3000 plants per ha)
- high permitted yields
- 15% local varieties or international varieties are permitted (many wines are 100% Glera)
Prosecco: vineyard management
Training, Pruning, Trellising
Sylvoz:
- high cordon system with shoots that hang downwards
- suited for high vigour sites (flat plains of Prosecco DOC / sometimes used in COnegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG)
- inexpensive to create initially
- minimise winter pruning + suitable for machine harvesting = reduce costs
- height of the cordon = protection from frost
- disadvantages: may encourage over cropping / requires careful monitoring and trimming of the canopy to avoid excessive shading / difficult to distribute the clusters evenly
Double-arched cane:
- form of replacement cane pruning / canes are bent into arches
- improve the evenness of growth and the fruitfulness of Glera
- increase the ventilation of the canopy = reduce fungal diseases
- common in Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG
- disadvantages = individual branches must be tied in on every plant (add cost) / repeated shoot trimming needed to maintain an open canopy
Guyot:
- used on flatter land where is possible to work with machines, reducing cost
Prosecco: vineyard management
Vineyard management in Prosecco DOC
- generally done by machines
- high yields of grapes = lower concentration
- low costs
Prosecco: vineyard management
Vineyard management in Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG
- best wines from south-facing hillside sites
- poorer soils + better drainage = higher concentrations than flatter sites
- higher diurnal range = slower growth = higher concentration of flavours + higher acidity
- steepest part is terraced with grassy banks called Ciglione (must be maintained = add cost)
- work by hand in steeper parts = higher costs
